Laptop!
Tablet!
Laptop and tablet?
The dream is closer than you think and I’ll show you just how to do it.
Hey there!
Welcome to another episode of DIY in 5.
I’m your host Trisha Hershberger and today, we’ll be going over how you can
use your iPad as an entry level laptop using the new iPadOS.
No more will you have to choose one or the other - why not both?
To kick things off, what is iPadOS?
It’s a version of iOS 13 specifically designed for iPads and it will be compatible with
pretty much every iPad device except iPad minis 2 & 3 and the original iPad Air.
iPadOS includes almost all the features available in iOS 13, like systemwide dark mode,
upgraded photo and video editing, updated maps and more.
It also, and most excitingly, grants the iPad the features to function as an entry-level laptop,
so users can feel free to start using their iPads as laptop replacements for most use case scenarios.
For multi-tasking power users, iPadOS supports a new Home screen,
which shrinks down the app icon size and allows you to fit more apps on each page.
To allow multi-tasking, go to Settings, General, Multitasking & Dock,
and make sure all the features you need is turned on.
The two functions we’re going to talk about today, are Split view and Slide Over.
Split View, which now allows you to open two windows, or spaces as Apple calls them hehe,
from the same app side by side.
This is extremely convenient for editing and web-surfing. Or watching a video and taking notes!
Another multi-tasking option is the Slide Over mode.
Now you can add a stack of apps to slide over, by dropping another app
on top of the Slide Over panel that’s already open.
To switch the windows over as your full screen apps,
simply use the small home bar below the open Slide Over panel.
Swipe horizontally on it to switch between apps.
Note that, like similar functionality on Android, not all apps support spaces.
If you write or edit text on the go, you’ll want to pay attention.
iPadOS allows you to dislodge and shrink down the virtual keyboard,
so it would be easier to tap with just one hand.
Just pinch-in on the keyboard to shrink it to be the size of the iPhone keyboard.
The floating keyboard allows you to drag it anywhere you want.
QuickPath for the keyboard will let you swipe instead of tap for typing.
Just swipe from one letter to the next as they form each word.
Anyone who uses Swiftkey and/or 99 %of those who’ve used Android can vouch for how fast swiping can be.
Also, there are new editing gestures for iPadOS.
To quickly select a block of text, simply start by swiping from the starting part of
the text you would like to select, and swipe to the end and let go.
The trick is to swipe quickly.
Don’t tap and hold in the beginning.
After you select text or an image, a three-finger pinch will copy the item,
and a three-finger outwards flicking gesture will paste the selected item.
To undo and redo text entry, just swipe left with three fingers to undo text,
and swipe right with three fingers to redo the text entry.
Another new feature in iPadOS is updated Screenshots.
The old way of pressing the Sleep + Volume up buttons at the same time still exists.
However, there is a new way to snap screenshot in iPadOS.
You can use an Apple Pencil and drag up from the bottom left corner
to the right into the screenshot markup screen.
It's the same as the Command + Shift +4 keyboard shortcut on Macbooks.
With Apple pencil, it’s easy to annotate screenshots.
Double tap any of the tools to change the thickness and color of your pen.
A new + button is also on the panel, and you’ll be able to add some new elements to your screenshots
with it like a text box, any of your saved signatures, a magnifier to bring attention…etc.
There’s an opacity slider in the upper right corner.
Slide right to decrease the opacity of your screenshot, and slide left to regain the full opacity.
New in iPadOS, you’re now able to save an entire webpage as a PDF document on Safari.
Once you select Full Page at the top, a document scrubber appears on the right side.
You may use the scrubber to move quickly to a different part of the full page.
And with the crop tool on the upper left corner of the screen, you ‘ll be able to crop out unwanted parts easily.
One major headache for users previously attempting to use their iPads as notebooks
was dealing with file management.
Good news is iPadOS offers a more computer-like file structure with the Files App.
You can now share an entire folder rather than just individual files.
You’re also able to access files from external storage, like SSD, USB flash drives or SD cards.
The App now supports a new column view, which is similar to Finder on Mac OS
and provides a better look at folder hierarchy.
This is great for a photographer or videographer who only brings their laptop on location
to make backups of their cards.
Now you can connect a USB C hub like the Nucleum and copy footage from your SD card
to an external SSD or hard drive.
Files also support shared folders through iCloud now, so you can share documents, images,
or various files with your friends, family and coworkers, and always stay up to date.
So do you think you will be one of the early adopters
who goes sans Macbook out into the wild armed only with an iPad?
Why or why not?
Let me know in the comments below.
All of this feels a bit reminiscent of the early Note tablet days
which I personally enjoyed but never caught on.
If anyone can make a new technology stick, it’s usually Apple.
Alright everyone, thanks for watching!
Make sure you like, subscribe and all that jazz and I’ll see you next time with more DIY in 5!